Thread: Wood smell in workshop?

Doesn't the fact you can smell wood in the air mean that there must be a fair bit of airborne wood dust floating about? Am I missing something?

In general yes but dust is one component of wood smell, the others being the smell of the resins and oils.
Resins are more volatile (and hence smelled) when heated so more are generated while the processing (cutting/sanding/planing) takes place and should be removed by dust extraction.
If you can smell resins while processing timber you probably have insufficient dust extraction.
When wood is cut this and exposes fresh surfaces from which some oils can continue to evaporate for some time after being cut.
The greener the wood is the more and longer it will smell after being cut without any dust involved.
Being molecular level resins and oils will usually pass through any sort of filter if your DC vents inside the shed.
The effect will be less noticeable if you vent the DC outside the shed.

The ones I have found to have the strongest smells are Huon Pine and Camphor Laurel. Try leaving some of that in your shed after it has been cut and you will see what others mean.
There are probably others that have strong smells also but I haven't used any of those.

Yesterday I split some Ironbark firewood which is reputed to be 20 years old (drying), and stacked it on the front verandah (porch). I went out later on and when I walked back past it there was a fairly strong smell of timber, which was obviously not due to airborne dust (it's open to the elements on two sides, and only about 3x2 metres).

I was also going to mention Huon Pine. We've had a fair bit in our shed for a while, and you can certainly smell it. No cutting involved.

Kinda related, I stumbled across this a few weeks ago: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrichor. Discovered by Australians!

When I was working (white board kitchens etc) someone came into the workshop one day and asked "how can you work in there with that smell?" The smell they were referring to was the smell of contact glue used on bench tops. We just got used to it. Another time I remember I was down at the back of the workshop and someone came to the front smoking a cigarette. Over the smell of the contact glue and the smell coming from freshly cut chip board, I could still identify that cigarette.

A mate, when he comes to visit always remarks on "the smell of wood" in my workshop. I only smell either motor oil with a hint of petrol in the air but not really wood. Just depends what your nose decides what is important. Fresh cut hardwood (stringy, red gum....) remind me of vomit when I smell them

Originally Posted by chambezio

Fresh cut hardwood (stringy, red gum....) remind me of vomit when I smell them

I notice this smell particularly when I drill old hardwoods (presumably of certain species).

Sandalwood ...mmmmm

Back in 2007? I did a wood swap with a member and he sent me some Cooktown iron wood via my work address. I was away when it arrived and got a rather urgent email from the Department Secretary saying it appeared that someone had sent me a parcel of dodgy voodoo.

By far the widest and possibly better range of smell arises from green cut timber. Some Marri smells like Corona beer. Stone fruit trees smell like their fruit, the scented gums are floral, citrusy. I've milled some very floral smelling Lemon scented gums with bees sucking on the sap from the sapwood. Jarrah and Karri are earthy/musty. Red gum does have a touch of vomit about it.